From Grassroots to Greatness: Stars Shooter Charlie Bell

“I Was Six Foot One in Year Eight, So I Knew I Was Different – But I Always  Loved My Height, It’s My Super Power”

We’ve all got to start somewhere, and that adage is no different for our best and brightest netball superstars! From their humble roots at their local netball centre through to making it as a professional, all netty players share the same love for the game that was born through their childhood experiences on the courts. We take a trip back down memory lane with some of our ANZ Premiership legends to hear their own origin stories!

Charlie Bell is such an exciting player to welcome to Aotearoa! The towering Aussie is enjoying her first professional season at the Stars after stints as injury cover and a training partner at the Tactix and the Sunshine Coast Lightning in the Suncorp Super League. Here, the super goal shoot tell us about her journey from grassroots to greatness!

Kia ora Charlie! What was your first netball memory? 

My first netball memory would be when I was 11 and my best friend asked me to come to club netball trials with her so she had a friend. I wore a baggy t-shirt, denim shorts and thongs (jandals, as you guys would say!) and had no idea what to expect - but I remember having heaps of fun and wanting to come back again, properly enlisted to play and wearing more suitable training gear!

Can you remember why you wanted to play in the first place? 

I really wanted to play because even though I showed up to training to be there for my friend, I really enjoyed meeting new people and making friends I probably wouldn’t have met outside of the sporting environment. I also only had experience playing basketball, so I loved the idea of playing a sport where I could still shoot but not have to run as much!

Where did you play your first netball, and do you still have ties to your childhood netball centre? 

I played at Raiders Netball Club for Western Districts Netball Association in Southeast Brisbane. I still have close ties with WDNA as I often do 1:1 or team coaching sessions there and have been asked to come to underage representative award nights as a guest speaker, telling the girls about how my journey started at Wests and I made it to Suncorp Super Netball, and now the ANZ Premiership.

Netball clubs are so important around Aotearoa - they help make up the fabric of the community and allow people to gather and make connections. Do you have any fond memories of yours? 

My best memory of my netball club was in 2012 when my Raiders team won the grand final, beating our rival opposition by one goal. It may have only been U11’s but I still remember it being a very fierce battle and I got to play in the shooting circle with my then and still current best friend, which we still laugh about to this day!

Can you remember the moment when you decided that you wanted to play netball as a profession? 

I can’t remember the exact moment I came to the realisation, but I knew netball was something I obviously loved and all whilst playing my school, club, premier league team, Queensland and Australia underage teams, I never got sick or tired of the constant challenge and loved every second of it. I reckon that’s a pretty clear indicator that you’d want to make it your every day job!

What part about netball brings you the greatest joy today? 

I know it’s very cliché to say but honestly the girls that I’ve met through netball are genuinely some of the best friendships I will ever have. Playing team sport bonds you in ways you didn’t think possible, and I always love the off court banter, laughter and memories made when we aren’t putting in the mahi!

What has netball taught you about life in general? 

Netball has taught me many life lessons that I still practice to this day. You must be resilient as not everyone’s journey is linear, things won’t magically fall into your lap and there are going to be roadblocks along the way you must learn to overcome. Taking risks and leaving your comfort zone is the best way to grow not only as a person but as a player, so when you want to take that leap of faith, lean on your support network - and the challenge doesn’t seem so scary after all. Finally, netball has been a safe space where I can be 100% authentically be myself and I have teammates and coaches who always encourage and motivate me to be the best version of me, and I take that same mindset into everyday life.

Greatness always begins at the grassroots level, and there are so many amazing volunteers and coaches and officials that give up their time across the country to make sure kids can play netball. Do you want to shout out anyone from your life who made a difference, and why? 

I’d love to shout out my school coach Tracey Jeanes-Fraser who recruited me in year 10 to play. I was playing basketball, rowing and club netball at the time and wasn’t wanting to take netball seriously, but she saw potential in me and from there on, she became one of my biggest supporters, greatest mentors and a second mum for many years. I owe a lot of my growth and success to Trace and still have an amazing relationship with her.

How have your early playing days helped shape you into the player you are today?

Growing up being the tallest kid (and sometimes person in the room!) I realised pretty quickly I was little different to other girls my age. My parents brought me up to love my height and own it because it was my superpower and made me unique. All my life I’ve embraced my height and hope that through my advocacy for tall girls to embrace their height and use it as a built-in strength, they can see me on the ANZ court and feel comfortable in their skin. Being about 6’1 in year 8, I took a while to figure out my long limbs and learn how to use them without looking too uncoordinated (still working on it haha!). With the guidance and mentoring of my coaches and parents, utilising my height when I played and securing an accurate shot after hours on hours of practicing grew my confidence and made me fall in love with the game even more.

When you look at kids playing netball today, what are your thoughts? 

I love how much passion kids show when they play netball. How excited they get to train with friends, play games and watching their faces light up honestly makes me so happy and makes me relive the memories I had years ago when I was their age, not knowing where netball would one day take me.